USPTO Patents Application 10646860

P23700.A08

IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

Applicant : Hiroshi NOMURA
Appln. No. : 10/646,860
Filed : August 25, 2003

Group Art Unit: 2851
Examiner: David M. GRAY

For : OPTICAL ELEMENT RETRACTING MECHANISM FOR A

PHOTOGRAPHING LENS

FIFTH SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

Commissioner for Patents

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Customer Service Window, Mail Stop Amendment

Randolph Building

401 Dulany Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

Sir:

In accordance with the duty of disclosure under 37 C.F.R. §1 .56 and §§1 .97-1 .98
and supplemental to the Information Disclosure Statements that were previously filed,
Applicant hereby calls to the Examiner's attention the following documents which were
cited in a Japanese Office Action (a copy of which is submitted herewith, along with an
English language translation of the same) that issued in a Japanese patent family
member of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0156832:

(1 ) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-023002, which was published
on January 21, 2000, together with an English language translation of the same;

(2) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 6-308592, which was published
on November 4, 1994, together with an English language translation of the same;

(3) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 7-199019, which was published
on August 4, 1995, together with an English language translation of the same;

P23700.A08

(4) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 5-313226, which was published
on November 26, 1993, together with an English language translation of the same;

(5) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 7-295050, which was published
on November 10, 1995, together with an English language translation of the same;

(6) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 9-5849, which was published on
January 10, 1997, together with an English language translation of the same;

(7) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. SHO 61-133933, which was
published on June 21 , 1986, together with an English language abstract of the same
and patent family member U.S. Patent No. 4,841,323 to YAMADA et al., which issued
on June 20, 1989; and

(8) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-1 14473, which was published
on April 18, 2003, together with an English language translation of the same.

Applicant also brings to the Examiner's attention the following documents which
were cited in a United Kingdom Search Report that issued in United Kingdom Patent
Application No. GB 0422629.6 on February 24, 2005:

(9) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-257555, which was published
on September 16, 2004. Applicant notes that this publication is a family member of U.S.
Application Publication No. 2004/0042092, the application of which was previously
identified in an Information Disclosure Statement. A copy of this Laid-Open Publication
is thus not being submitted herewith. However, if a copy of the same is needed, the
Examiner is respectfully requested to contact the undersigned;

(1 0) United Kingdom Patent Application Publication No. GB 2394787, which was
published on May 5, 2004. Applicant notes that this document is a patent family

P23700.A08

member of document (9) and thus a copy of this United Kingdom Publication is not
being submitted herewith. However, should a copy be needed, the Examiner is
respectfully requested to contact the undersigned. Applicant additionally brings to the
Examiner's attention its patent family member U.S. Patent Application Publication No.
2004/0042092 to NOMURA (mentioned above), which was published on March 4, 2004.
Applicant notes that this U.S. Patent Application was previously brought to the
Examiner's attention in an Information Disclosure Statement;

(11) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/01 41 735 to NOMURA, which was
published on July 22, 2004. Applicant notes that this document was previously brought
to the Examiner's attention in an Information Disclosure Statement;

(12) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0062536 to NOMURA, which was
published on April 1 , 2004. Applicant notes that this document was previously brought
to the Examiner's attention in an Information Disclosure Statement;

(13) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0042776 to NOMURA, which was
published on March 4, 2004. Applicant notes that this document was previously brought
to the Examiner's attention in an Information Disclosure Statement;

(14) U.S. Patent No. 6,185,375 to KAZUO, which issued on February 6, 2001; and

(15) U.S. Patent No. 5,715,482. Applicant notes that this document was previously
brought to the Examiner's attention in an Information Disclosure Statement.

The category of relevance, pertinent portions, and claims to which each
document is relevant, as ascertained by the United Examiner are set forth in the United
Kingdom Search Report.

P23700.A08

Further to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision to waive the
requirement under 37 C.F.R. §1.98 (a)(2)(i), copies of the U.S. patents and U.S.
publications are not enclosed herewith. However, if any copies are needed, the
Examiner is respectfully requested to contact the undersigned.

Applicant respectfully requests that the Examiner consider the above material
and cite the same. Copies of the documents (1 )-(8) are attached hereto and all of the
documents are listed on the attached PTO-1449 Form. The Examiner is requested to
initial the appropriate spaces on the attached Form and to return a copy of the
completed Form to Applicant with the next official communication in the present
application.

Applicant notes that a Request for Continued Examination is being submitted
herewith. Thus, no fee is believed necessary to ensure consideration of the submitted
material.

Should the Examiner have any questions, the Examiner is invited to contact the
undersigned at the below-listed telephone number.

Respectfully submitted,
Hiroshi NOMURA

William S. Boshnick
fjLMJl ^g. No. 44,550

Bruce H. Bernstein
Reg. No. 29,027

May 10, 2005

GREENBLUM & BERNSTEIN, P.L.C.
1950 Roland Clarke Place
Reston, VA 20191
(703) 716-1191

P23700.P12

FORM PTO-1449

Department of Commerce
Patent and Trademark Office

INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
BYAPPLICANT
(Use se^g^iph^tN^necessary)

Atty. Dockei
P23700

Sheet 1 of 1

Application No.
10/646,860

Applicant
Hiroshi NOMURA

Filing Date
August 25, 2003

Group
2851

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

EXAMINER
INITIAL

DOCi

J/

Dumber

DATE

NAME

CLA
SS

SUBCLASS

FILING DATE
IF

APPROPRIATE

4

8

4

1

3

2

3

06/20/89

YAM ADA et al.

2004

0

0

4

2

0

9

2

03/04/04

NOMURA

2004

0

1

4

1

7

3

5

07/22/04

NOMURA

2004

0

0

6

2

5

3

6

04/01/04

NOMURA

2004

0

0

4

.2

7

7

6

03/04/04

NOMURA

6

1

8

5

3

7

5

02/06/01

KAZUO

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

DOCUMENT NUMBER

DATE

COUNTRY

CLA
SS

SUBCLASS

TRANSLATION
YES NO

2000

0

2

3

0

0

2'

01/21/00

JAPAN

X

6

3

0

8

5

9

2

11/04/94

JAPAN

X

7

1

9

9

0

1

9

08/04/95

JAPAN

X

5

3

1

3

2

2

6

11/26/93

JAPAN

X

7

2

9

5

0

5

0

11/10/95

JAPAN

X

0

g

5

8

4

9

01/10/97

JAPAN

X

61

1

3

3

9

3

3

06/21/86

JAPAN

2003

1

1

4

4

7

3

04/18/03

JAPAN

X

2004

2

5

7

5

5

5

09/16/04

JAPAN

2

3

9

4

7

8

7

05/05/04

UNITED KINGDOM

OTHER DOCUMENTS (Including Author, Title, Date, Pertinent Pages, Etc.)

1

English Language Abstract of JP 61-133933.

EXAMINER

DATE CONSIDERED

'EXAMINER: Initial if citation considered, whether or not citation is in conformance with MPEP 609; draw line through citation
if not in conformance and not considered. Include copy of this form with next communication to applicant.